Smokey Root and Chorizo Hash

A lovely brunch, lunch or supper combines meaty Spanish chorizo, sweet peppers and lovely, crisp root vegetables or simply potatoes.

This is a great meal to knock up for the morning after feel, when the senses need reviving, when punchy smoked paprika and chilli can knock you back into shape. Served with a fried egg, it takes some beating any time of day.

Feeds 2 to 3

2 tbsp olive oil
3 fat chorizo sausages, sliced
2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
2 large potatoes, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
1 onion, sliced
2 red peppers, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, sliced
1 tsps sweet smoked paprika
A pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper


1 - Place the parsnip, carrot and potato in a pan. Cover with water, bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes or until tender. Drain and set aside to steam.
2 - In a large frying pan or wok, heat up the oil and then add the chorizo. Quickly stir fry until golden and some oil has been released. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper.
3 -  Add the onions and pepper. Stir fry until softened and beginning to colour. Stir the garlic through then remove with a slotted spoon and set aside on kitchen paper.
4 - Add the drained root vegetables and cook until golden and as crisp as you can get them. Return the onion and chorizo along with the paprika and chilli and combine thoroughly. Taste for seasoning.
5 - Serve in bowls with an optional fried egg on the top, optional squirt of tomato ketchup and crusty bread.

Salmon and Mint Cous Cous

This is a lovely, simple summer salad that takes little time to knock up so that you can enjoy the sun - when it decides to appear.

If you aren't a fish fan, replace with sliced ham, cooked chicken, anything really. Add some toasted almonds to give flavour and crunch.

Salmon and Mint Cous Cous
Serves 4

250g Cous Cous
250ml boiling water
Cherry tomatoes, halved
Half a cucumber, peeled and diced
6 spring onions
2 fillets of cooked salmon
1 clove of garlic, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 lemons, squeezed
A handful of parsley and mint each, chopped
Salt and pepper

1 - Put the Cous Cous into a large mixing bowl, pour on the hot water and cover. Leave for 5 minutes then fluff up with a fork.
2 - To make the dressing, mix together the garlic, lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning.
3 - Stir the chopped veg, fish and dressing together. Finally, stir in the fresh herbs and serve with crusty bread or toasted pitta bread and more wedges of lemon.

Lamb, Potato and Spinach Curry

This is a really simple and delicious curry that can either be done in a slow cooker or left in a low oven. Packed with flavour, it's the kind of curry that makes you wonder why you bother with a take away.

Make sure that you buy some decent lamb from your butcher; they will recommend a good cut for slow braising. This uses lamb steaks from the leg but lamb shoulder cut into large chunks will be just as good. You want the lamb to melt in your mouth and these cuts are suited to long, slow cooking.

This one uses two whole dried chillies meaning it is stinging hot. Replace the dried chillies with a teaspoon of chilli powder and adjust the heat towards the end depending on taste.

Lamb, Potato and Spinach Curry
Serves 4

2 tbsp sunflower or vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 thumb size of ginger, peeled
750g lamb shoulder or leg steaks, cut into large chunks
4 whole cloves
4 whole cardamon pods
1 whole cinnamon stick
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tsp each of chilli powder, ground coriander, cumin and turmeric
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
250ml water
2 large potatoes, peeled and cubed
3 large handfuls of spinach
Fresh coriander
Salt and pepper

1 - If making in a slow cooker, switch it on to its low setting. If cooking in an oven, pre-heat to 140C/GM1.
2 - Either finely chop the onion, garlic and ginger or blitz in a food processor. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and cook for 10 minutes until starting to colour. Tip into a casserole dish or slow cooker.
3 - Add a tablespoon of oil to the pan and quickly seal the lamb all over. Tip into the casserole dish or slow cooker.
4 - Add the spices to the hot pan and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until fragrant. Ensure that they do not burn. Add the tomatoes, puree and water and bring to the boil. Add to the casserole dish or slow cooker.
5 - If using a slow cooker, cook for 6-8 hours on the low setting or according to the manufacturer's instructions. If cooking in an over, place onto the middle shelf and cook for 3 hours. Check each hour to ensure that it has not cooked dry.
6 - With one hour's cooking time left, stir in the cubed potatoes. If using a slow cooker, make it 2 hours before the end of cooking. Or if you prefer, pre-boil the potatoes and simply stir them in at the end.
7 - Stir in the spinach and a handful of roughly chopped fresh coriander. Taste for seasoning and serve with rice, breads, yoghurt and chutney.

Black Pudding and Bacon Risotto

A lovely parcel arrived for me last week; a whole box full of black and white puddings.

It's a delivery I can safely say has never happened to me before but after sampling some of Clonakilty's black pudding in a risotto today, it is one of the finest. It is simply the best black pudding I have ever tasted, and I've tasted a lot.

Clonakilty have been famous in Ireland for over 100 years. Based in West Cork, they have been producing top quality bacon and sausages to the good people of Ireland for long enough to know what top quality is. They are Ireland's leading black pudding manufacturers and take my word for it, you can tell why.

Rather than serve it with a traditional breakfast, I thought a good use would be to crumble some into a good risotto. I can remember some years back eating a paella in Valencia which used their version of the black pudding, morcilla, and it was amazing. So that's where the idea came from.

The resulting risotto is rich and fulfilling and although the Irish will probably question my use of their fine product in an Italian staple, all I can say is, try it and see! Thanks Clonakilty.


Black Pudding and Bacon Risotto
Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
4 rashers of smoked bacon, roughly chopped
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove of garlic, sliced
400g Arbario rice
1 litre hot vegetable or chicken stock
6 thick slices black pudding
100g Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

1 - Heat the olive oil in a large deep-sided non-stick pan. Add the bacon and fry until crisp and golden. Remove with a slotted spoon and keep aside on kitchen towel.
2 - Add the onion and garlic to the oil and cook until softened. Stir in the rice then add a couple of ladles of the stock. Bring to the simmer and cook, stirring regularly. Once the stock has almost cooked out, add another couple of ladles of stock.
3 - Continue in this fashion until the rice is cooked through with a slight bite to it. Stir in the cooked bacon and half of the Parmesan cheese and taste for seasoning. Keep warm with a lid on.
4 - Add a little oil to a frying pan and fry the slices of black pudding for 2-3 minutes each side. Crumble some of it into the risotto.
5 - Serve the risotto with more black pudding and Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Spiced Clementine Cake

Clementines are beautiful at this time of the year and for me, synonymous with the Festive period.

This is an impressive cake that is easy to make and just as easy to eat. Your house will be filled with the zesty aroma of this wonderful fruit meaning rumbling tummies for any lucky visitor.

Because there is so much pulp in the cake, it will be incredibly moist and if it lasts that long, will remain so for a good 3-4 days.

Ingredients

3 whole clementines
3 eggs
200g caster sugar
50g plain flour
1tsp baking powder
200g ground almonds
1tsp mixed spice

1 - Put the clementines into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Drain then blitz in a food processor to a purée. Preheat the oven to 180C/GM4.
2 - In a mixing bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar until pale and fluffy.
3 - Sieve in the flour, baking powder and spice then fold in along with the purée.
4 - Pour into a greased and lined 8" loose bottomed baking tin and bake on the middle shelf for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
5 - To make an optional icing, put 1tbsp marmalade into a saucepan along with a little water. Heat up and melt. Stir in 6-8 tbsp icing sugar and thoroughly combine then drizzle all over the cooled cake.

Beef and Sweet Potato Curry

The slow cooker has been dusted down and brought back out as a permanent fixture of the kitchen for the winter.

It's that time of the year when slow cooking becomes the norm. Get a few ingredients together in the early hours, off to work then on your return, tea awaits. It almost mocks timely preparation and 'cheffy' techniques. Many memorable meals have been produced from my £7 slow cooker and it has easily been the most cost efficient cookware in my collection.

If you are a curry lover and are looking for inspiration to use your slow cooker that has been sitting in its box since purchase last winter, look no further than the following. Packed with flavour and guaranteed to beat the winter sniffles, it's a must for giving a debut to your new best kitchen friend.


Slow Cooked Beef and Sweet Potato Curry
Feeds 4

1kg braising beef cut into large chunks
2tbsp sunflower oil

For the curry paste:
1 onion
A thumb size of fresh ginger, peeled
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 fresh red chilli, unseeded
1 tsp turmeric
2 tsp ground cumin
2 tsp ground coriander
2 tbsp tomato purée

3 sweet potatoes, or normal white potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 cinnamon stick
3 cloves
Water
Salt and pepper

1 - In a food processor or pestle and mortar, place in the curry paste ingredients and blend to a paste.
2 - In a large frying pan, heat the oil and add the beef. Quickly cook and turn until coloured then remove with a slotted spoon and add to the slow cooker.
3 - Add a little more oil if necessary, then add the paste and cook, stirring all if the time, for 5 minutes until coloured and fragrant.
4 - Add the tomatoes and a little water and combine. Add to the slow cooker along with the potatoes, cinnamon stick and cloves.
5 - Cook on its lowest setting for 6-7 hours. If you are at home, check after a few hours to see if it has gone dry which it should not.
6 - Taste for seasoning then serve with rice, breads and fresh coriander.

Sticky Sweet and Sour Peppers

This recipe is one of those I always keep handy in my little head of culinary delights for when a vegetable accompaniment for anything is required and time is against me. As long as you have some peppers, garlic and a few store cupboard ingredients, you can have some delicious sticky sweet and sour peppers in minutes.

These are perfect with a simple piece of fish or chicken, but are an equal delight on a piece of toast for a quick veggie lunch.

Sticky Sweet and Sour Peppers
Serves 2 on toast or as an accompaniment

2 peppers, I use red and yellow, sliced into thin slivers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tbsp muscovado sugar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
A pinch of chilli flakes
Salt and pepper

1 - In a non-stick frying pan, preferably with a lid, heat up the oil until very hot. Lower in the pepper slices and cook for 5 minutes with the lid on, removing now and again to give it a good stir. You are looking to get them broken down and caramelised as soon as possible. Don't worry if any begin to look slightly charred, this will just benefit the flavour.
2 - Once caramelised, remove the lid and quickly stir in the garlic.
3 - Stir in the sugar, vinegar, chilli and a good grinding of black pepper and cook for 1-2 minutes until it starts to look nice and sticky and reduced. Taste for seasoning, it may need a pinch of salt.